Macdonald walks back defence of accused
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, comedian Norm Macdonald offered several opinions on not just Roseanne Barr, Louis C.K. and Chris Hardwick — but, of course, Donald Trump.
He started the interview by acknowledging that, yes, he did warn everyone in 2015 that a Trump presidency would be dangerous, but has it been as bad as he feared? “Not at all.”
He then called out the “lunacy of the left,” before saying he’s never “bought into this notion that everybody is racist because there was a black president, you know?”
Then came his thoughts on “the swing toward liberalism.” The comedian said, “I’m happy the #MeToo movement has slowed down a little bit. ... Like, that Chris Hardwick guy I really thought got the blunt end of the stick there.”
After Hardwick was accused of emotional and sexual abuse during his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chloe Dykstra in a Medium essay she penned, he issued a series of denials. He was then offered a guest-judge spot on America’s Got Talent, and has been given back hosting duties by AMC’s Talking Dead (where many of the staffers quit in protest, following several co-workers backing claims of his abusive attitude).
Macdonald went on to explain that, in the past, you’d admit to “wrongdoing,” be forgiven and offered a second chance. But in the wake of #MeToo, “there is no forgiveness,” and women being trusted automatically can destroy careers, like those of his friends, C.K. and Barr.
Earlier this year, C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct allegations throughout the last decade, while Barr’s rebooted series Roseanne was cancelled after she made racist comments via Twitter against former Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett.
C.K. made a return to the comedy club circuit a week ago, reportedly to a standing ovation, with many on social media cheering his “comeback,” something writer Amanda Hess described in The New York Times as “more like a malignancy.” Meanwhile, Roseanne has received a spinoff order with the same cast and crew (minus Barr).
He sided with his close friends by saying, “There are very few people that have gone through what they have, losing everything in a day. Of course, people will go, ‘What about the victims?’ But you know what? The victims didn’t have to go through that.”
For the record, C.K. made $52 million last year, according to Forbes, and Barr has an estimated net worth of $80 million, according to Good Housekeeping.
Macdonald tweeted an apology following the publication of the interview, essentially going back on the point he made: “Roseanne and Louis have both been very good friends of mine for many years. They both made terrible mistakes and I would never defend their actions. If my words sounded like I was minimizing the pain that their victims feel to this day, I am deeply sorry.”
Hours later, his scheduled appearance on Tuesday night’s episode of Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show to promote his upcoming show Norm Macdonald Has A Show, was cancelled.
A spokesperson told THR, “Out of sensitivity to our audience and in light of Norm Macdonald’s comments in the press today, The Tonight Show has decided to cancel his appearance on Tuesday’s telecast.”